1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a zero insertion/extraction force integrated circuit socket, and more particularly to a driving structure of the socket for driving a slide cover to slide along the insulating socket.
2. Description of the Prior Arts
Zero insertion/extraction force integrated circuit socket is for an integrated circuit such as a central processor unit (CPU) to insert therein with nearly zero force. After inserted, the CPU is electrically connected with the main board of a computer. When it is necessary to upgrade the computer, the CPU is extracted from the socket with nearly zero force to replace the CPU with an upgraded product.
In order to achieve the object of zero insertion/extraction force, a slide cover is added to the bottommost insulating socket. The slide cover is slidable along the insulating socket. The multiple insertion pins of the CPU are passed through the slide cover and then inserted into the insulating socket. However, after inserted, the insertion pins do not directly contact with the multiple conductive members inlaid in the insulating socket so that the insertion force is nearly zero. Then, by means of a driving structure disposed between the insulating socket and the slide cover, the slide cover is driven and slided to simultaneously make the insertion pins of the CPU slide into the contact sections of the conductive members and respectively electrically contact with the conducting members.
When extracting the CPU, the driving structure is operated to force the slide cover to slide in a reverse direction, whereby the insertion pins of the CPU are simultaneously detached from the conductive members. Thereafter, the CPU can be easily extracted. It is known from the above that the driving structure plays a very important role in the operation.
There are various types of driving structures which will be respectively described as follows:
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,387,121 and 5,456,613 disclose a first earliest and typical driving structure. An L-shaped operation lever is clamped on one side of the zero insertion/extraction force (zero insertion force) integrated circuit socket. A driving section positioned between the insulating socket and the slide cover is manufactured as a cam. An operating section of the operation lever is exposed to outer side of the socket. The operating section is pinched by fingers to turn the driving section for driving the slide cover to slide.
The first type of driving section has a shortcoming. That is, the operating section extends out of the socket for a user""s fingers to pinch. Accordingly, a considerable operating space must be reserved beside the operating section. This makes the layout of the space quite limited and fails to meet the requirement of thinness and lightness.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,059,596 and 6,383,007 disclose a second type of driving structure for solving the problem existing in the first type of driving structure. Two opposite sides of one side of the insulating socket is formed with a dent. A tool such as a flat head screwdriver can be inserted into the dent which serves as a fulcrum of the screwdriver. The screwdriver can swing back and forth to push the slide cover to slide back and forth. By this measure, it is unnecessary to reserve an operating space in the socket. However, this driving structure has a shortcoming, that is, the sliding distance of the slide cover can be hardly accurately controlled. As a result, the insertion pins of the CPU often fail to fully contact with the conductive members of the insulating socket or over-contact with the conductive members to damage the conductive members.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,231,366 and 6,338,646 disclose a third type of a driving structure to solve the above problems existing in the first and second types of driving structures. A driving cam is rotatably disposed on one side of the zero insertion/extraction force integrated circuit socket. The rotational axis of the driving cam is normal to the surface of the slide cover. A flat head or hexagonal screwdriver is inserted into a straight or hexagonal recess of top end of the driving cam in a direction normal to the surface of the slide cover. The screwdriver is turned to drive and rotate the cam which drives the slide cover to slide back and forth. By means of this measure, the sliding distance of the slide cover can be accurately controlled.
However, this driving structure has a shortcoming, that is, it costs much strength to turn the screwdriver. The radius of the handle of the screwdriver much smaller than the length of the operating section of the L-shaped operation lever of the first driving structure. For example, the length of the operating section may be several times the radius of the handle of the screwdriver. Therefore, the force necessary for turning the screwdriver is much greater than the force necessary for shifting the operating section.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a zero insertion/extraction force integrated circuit socket which can overcome the problem existing in the first type of conventional driving structure, that is, the operating section extends out of the socket for a user""s fingers to pinch. Accordingly, a considerable operating space must be reserved beside the operating section. This makes the layout of the space quite limited and fails to meet the requirement of thinness and lightness.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide the above zero insertion/extraction force integrated circuit socket which can overcome the problem existing in the second type of conventional driving structure, that is, the sliding distance of the slide cover can be hardly accurately controlled. As a result, the insertion pins of the CPU often fail to fully contact with the conductive members of the insulating socket or over-contact with the conductive members to damage the insertion pins and the conductive members.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide the above zero insertion/extraction force integrated circuit socket which can overcome the problem existing in the third type of conventional driving structure, that is, it costs much strength to turn the screwdriver.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide the above zero insertion/extraction force integrated circuit socket by which a user can use a screwdriver to very easily and accurately slide the slide cover.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide the above zero insertion/extraction force integrated circuit socket by which the slide cover can be stably kept in the contact position or totally close position.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide the above zero insertion/extraction force integrated circuit socket by which the occupied space is reduced and the material is saved.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide the above zero insertion/extraction force integrated circuit socket by which a user can feel the engagement when the slide cover reaches both the contact position and separation position. Therefore, the user can ensure that the slide cover be moved to a desired position.
According to the above objects, the zero insertion/extraction force integrated circuit socket of the present invention includes an insulating socket, multiple conductive members and a slide cover.
The insulating socket has: a first slide connecting face positioned on one face of the insulating socket; multiple insertion holes arranged on the first slide connecting face and passing through the insulating socket; a first receiving section formed on one side of the insulating socket and having a receiving dent communicating with the first slide connecting face; and two first guiding edges respectively disposed on two opposite edges of the insulating socket, each of the guiding edges having a first latch section projecting therefrom. The conductive members are inserted in the insertion holes of the insulating socket one pair by one pair. The conductive members pass through the insertion holes to electrically contact with a circuit board. The slide cover has: a second slide connecting face positioned on one face of the slide cover to sidably contact with the first slide connecting face of the insulating socket, a direction in which the slide cover moves relative to the insulating socket being defined as sliding direction; multiple through holes arranged on the second slide connecting face of the slide cover and passing through the slide cover, multiple insertion pins of an integrated circuit being inserted through the through holes into the insertion holes of the insulating socket; a second receiving section formed on one side of the slide cover, the second receiving section having a U-shaped dent communicating with the second slide connecting face and a perforation passing through the second receiving section to communicate with the U-shaped dent, the second receiving section and the first receiving section of the insulating socket being mated with each other to together form a receiving cavity; and two second guiding edges respectively disposed on two opposite edges of the slide cover, each guiding edge having a second latch section, the second latch section being slidably latched with the first latch section of the insulating socket, whereby the first and second guiding edges and the first and second slide connecting faces together guide the slide cover to slide relative to the insulating socket. The driving member is entirely hidden and pivotally disposed in the receiving cavity composed of the first receiving section of the insulating socket and the second receiving sections of the slide cover.
The driving member has: a first stop face positioned on one side of the driving member, the driving member being pivotally rotatable to a position where the first stop face contacts with the receiving dent of the insulating socket and stops, this position being defined as a first position; a second stop face positioned on the other side of the driving member, the driving member being pivotally rotatable to a position where the second stop face contacts with the receiving dent of the insulating socket and stops, this position being defined as a second position; a driving cam slidably contacting with the U-shaped dent of the slide cover; and an insertion dent exposed to the perforation of the second receiving section of the slide cover, whereby an operating piece can be inserted from the perforation of the slide cover into the insertion dent of the driving member to drive the driving member, the driving cam of the driving member being pivotally rotatable to the first position to drive the slide cover, whereby the slide cover is guided to slide to a contact position where the insertion pins of the integrated circuit totally contact with the conductive members, when the driving cam of the driving member is pivotally rotated to the second position, the slide cover being driven to slide from the contact position to a separation position where the insertion pins of the integrated circuit totally separate from the conductive members.
The driving member is received in the receiving cavity of the insulating socket and pivotally rotatable therein. The receiving cavity has two U-shaped pivot recesses respectively formed at two ends of the receiving cavity to communicate with the first slide connecting face. A connecting line of the semicircular centers of the two U-shaped pivot recesses is defined as a first axis, the first axis being normal to said sliding direction and parallel to the first slide connecting face of the insulating socket.
The U-shaped dent of the slide cover has: two slide channels respectively formed at two ends of the U-shaped dent and communicate with the second slide connecting face, the two slide channels respectively corresponding to the two u-shaped pivot recesses of the insulating socket, the two slide channels and the two U-shaped pivot recesses together forming two pivot cavities at two ends of the receiving cavity; a first driven face formed on one side of the U-shaped dent of the slide cover between the U-shaped dent and the through hole; and two second driven faces formed on the other side of the U-shaped dent of the slide cover respectively corresponding to two ends of the first driven face, a distance between the second driven face and the first driven face being defined as a first width.
The slide cover further includes a projecting section projecting from the second slide connecting face. The projecting section is positioned between the U-shaped dent and the through hole and adjacent to one side of the U-shaped dent. The first driven face extends to one lateral face of the projecting section, the other lateral face of the projecting section serving as a first stop face.
The insulating socket further has a dent formed on the insulating socket between the receiving cavity and the insertion hole. The dent is also adjacent to and communicates with one side of the receiving cavity. The dent communicates with the first slide connecting face and corresponds to the projecting section for receiving the projecting section. A face of the dent corresponding to the first stop face of the projecting section serves as a second stop face, whereby when the slide cover reaches the contact position, the first stop face contacts with the second stop face.
The driving cam of the driving member has: a first cam section having a first cam edge formed on one side of the first cam section, the first cam edge slidably contacting with the first driven face of the slide cover, whereby the first cam edge can drive the first driven face of the slide cover to make the slide cover slide to the contact position; and two second cam sections formed at two ends of the first cam section, each second cam section having a second cam edge, the two second cam edges respectively simultaneously contacting with the two second driven faces of the slide cover, whereby the second cam sections can synchronously drive the two second driven faces of the slide cover to make the slide cover slide to the separation position, a maximum width between the second cam edge and the first cam edge being defined as a second width.
The driving member further has two pivot shafts respectively formed at two ends of the driving member and positioned at rear ends of the two second cam sections. A connecting line of the centers of the pivot shafts is defined as a second axis. The two pivot shafts are pivotally disposed in the two pivot dents composed of two U-shaped pivot recesses of the insulating socket and two slide channels of the slide cover. The second axis coincides with the first axis of the insulating socket.
The first cam section further has an arched face radially positioned between the first cam edge and the insertion dent. The arched face is immediately adjacent to the first cam edge. An axis of the curvature center of the arched face coincides with the second axis of the driving member, whereby the radia from every parts of the arched face to the second axis are equal and the radia from every parts of the arched face to the second axis are all not smaller than the radia from any part of the first cam edge to the second axis. An adjoining section between the first cam edge and the arched face just contacts with the first driven face of the slide cover in a position which is defined as a contact travel ending position, whereby when the driving member reaches the contact travel ending position, the slide cover just reaches the contact position, while the first stop face of the driving member has not yet reached the first position, whereby in the travel of the driving member from the contact travel ending position to the first position, the arched face succeeds the first cam edge to continuously contact with the first driven face of the slide cover. The radia from the arched face to the second axis are equal so that the slide cover always stably keeps in the contact position.
The first cam edge is formed with a protruding arched shape. The slide cover further has a locating section formed on the first driven face. The position of the locating section is a position where the first cam edge contacts with the first driven face when the driving member reaches the second position. The second width is larger than the first width, whereby the first cam edge can latch with the locating section to stably keep the driving member in the second position and thus stably keep the slide cover in the separation position.
The driving cam of the driving member further includes a third cam edge formed on the other side of the first cam section. The third cam edge contacts with the third driven face of the slide cover. A connecting line of the first cam edge and the second as and a connecting line of the third cam edge and the second axis contain an angle defined as a first angle.
A connecting line of the first cam edge and the second axis and the connecting line of the second cam edge and the second axis contain an angle defined as a second angle. The first angle is larger than the second angle, whereby the third cam edge first drives the third driven face of the slide cover and pushes the slide cover from the contact position to the separation position as a first stage of separation travel. Then the second cam edge successively drives the second driven face of the slide cover and continuously pushes the slide cover to the separation position as a second state of separation travel.